Usually, I tend to be rather spontaneous with the shows I see, and it kind of half worked for me so far. For that reason, and in an attempt at efficiency, I decided to plan a bit better. So I left home on Wednesday with 9 shows planned, which seemed a lot, but also it seemed possible. It might've even been 10 if I went to the Late'n'Live at Assembly George Square. Didn't quite reach nine, had to stop at 8 shows. Still a record, but I also think I'm discovering the upper limit. 10 shows per day is possible, as long as you choose the times and distances carefully, but you can't really be picky with what the shows actually are. And I want to be picky. Also, the pace gets to you pretty quickly, so I figured that the right amount of shows per day is 6, +/- 1. Which will be my guideline from now on.
The Fish Bowl (10.25, Summerhall, V26) - I missed Milkshake and Bubbles at The Space as I didn't wake up in time, so I went to The Fish Bowl as it came highly recommended by Martha at the reception of Destiny Meadows, where I stayed, and because it was across the street. It turns out this was the only show I saw at Summerhall this year, and I'm glad I visited, as Summerhall is an incredible hub of the Fringe, with a solid pick of shows, some sexy-looking venues, and delving into other forms of art, mostly visual. The show, however, was not all that. Important topic, talking about dementia, and the team came from Australia, devising the show based on their time spent in a care home. The end product slides too much into verbatim pieces without an apparent connection, and unfortunately, I felt that the show has too little theatricality, and did not elicit much of an emotional response from me. The team clearly believes in their show, all that's left is to make it good.
Joe Wells - King of the Autistics (12.00, Banshee Labyrinth, V156) - Joe was a great find last year with 'I am autistic', so I went in with high hopes, and accompanied by Sorin Psatta, a mid-level celebrity in the Romanian social media. King of the Autistics is a funny show, but it matches lower against my expectations who, yes, have increased substantially after hearing last year's show. One of the problems I'm having is that around half of the show is recycled material from I am Autistic, and that's a bit much imho. Either write a new show or hone the old one. Repeating a few jokes is acceptable, it might be a trademark; half of the show is lazy. And I don't want to think of Joe as lazy. It's entertaining, but not mind-blowing. This is the only show I saw in the Free Fringe, and I'm hoping the format works for Joe. Despite what I just said, it's probably one of the stronger shows in this time slot, and I would recommend anyone to go see it. A great mix of funny and educational, this year without dog cum.
The Cambridge Impronauts (13.40, Gilded Ballon Patter Hoose, V24) - I went to this specifically to have a chat with Olivia Gillman, who was supposed to be in it. She wasn't, not on the day. So, you know... enjoy the show. I am seeing so much improv that I'm seeing the backbones of a show more and more clearly. I have to say though, the Impronauts stick to classical formulas of improv, but execute them very well. So the show is not only funny, but it also looks like good production value, which is rare for improv. And I got to be on stage for a little bit, in an ego-fuelling exercise. And I learned a few new improv games. So a win overall, something light to go with your lunch.
The Brief Life and Mysterious Death of Boris III King of Bulgaria (17.20, Pleasance Dome, V23) - We made contact with Out of the Forest Theatre Company before the Fringe, when they were looking for rehearsal space, and the title of the show was enough to get me curious. It's an Eastern European story and I care about Eastern European stories, even though, having heard of Boris III before, I knew Romania will not be shown in a good light. This is a very camp retelling of how the Holocaust came about in Bulgaria during World War II, with songs and everything. And guess what? It works! The show is funny and hugely entertaining, but somehow it manages to keep your eyes on the ball at all times: the subject matter is a very serious one, and the company never makes light of it. We get all of the history, we understand the emotions and motivations of the characters, all of them being caught in extraordinary circumstances, and at the center of them all, Tsar Boris, who answered the call of history and got killed for it (no spoiler guys, it's in the title). Yes, maybe the image of Boris III is a tad brushed up, and we cannot really know the inner motivations of the character, but even so, we're not looking at unidimensional cardboard cutouts here: everyone has their shades of grey, everyone is slave to motivations and betrayals. Great story, beautifully told. I know now that the company has other ideas, but I said, and I maintain: add a few songs and this has West End potential.
Janitor/Manager & How to have an affair without really trying (19.40, Zoo Playground, V186) - A show I took a punt on because the time fit, without knowing anything about it. Well, that'll teach me! I think I've had my fill of lazy NYC comedians and comedians wannabe for the year. This show is actually two stand uo sets with songs. Autobiographical, but told, rather than written. Which is not theatre, it's therapy. I know, I know, but Hannah Gadsby is so popular right now, so find your trauma and exploit it, kids! Now, that only works when there is actual trauma, which doesn't seem to be the case with Sean Conrad, whose claim to suffering was that his employer was making him actually work. Oh, you've been in a job you hate and want to talk about it in your stand-up set? Well, have you thought about adding humor to it? In Becky Goodman's case, the emotional scars are clearly deeper, but again, you only need an audience of one to sort through your issues. If that person also has some sort of counseling qualification, all the better! There were 8 of us in that room, and no one was judging Becky as hard as she is judging herself. So you had a relationship with a dude 40 years older? Or, as they call it in France, a relationship? Meh. The vagina costume is effective, but unkempt. Come on Becky, this is really covering the basics.
Flat & the Curves: Divadom (21.50, Pleasance Dome, V23) - The fact that F&tC now have more than two hours of material is really no excuse for cutting my favorite song of theirs (Up the Shard). But worry not, there's still plenty of smut! F&tC is getting plenty of praise, and it's all fully deserved, and more! I thought they were absolutely hilarious last year, and they have been absolutely hilarious every time I saw them since! Perfect cabaret act! Comparisons with Fascinating Aida are obvious and fully justified. They are up there, and I'm really happy they are selling out a relatively big venue. I took Seb, Pedro, and James to see them without any warning, and in truth maybe that was a bit mean of me, but to see their reactions is priceless! Flat and the Curves, sparkles and smut, in a venue near you soon! Catch them before they're famous, not long now.
Viggo Venn: British Comedian (00:05, Monkey Barrel Comedy, V515) - the 100-seater at Monkey Barrel was too small for the latest winner of Britain's Got Talent. I was surprised this is not in a bigger venue (though it will do 2 performances in one of the big Pleasance spaces this weekend). I was curious what this Norwegian comic is about, and I was lucky to get a ticket in an otherwise sold-out run. What can I say? This show took all my expectations and whacked me over the head with them, repeatedly! I expected stand-up, but this is so much better! Viggo is a clown and this is a clown show. No white face and red nose though. To me, this is the state of the art of what clowning means today. Viggo needs no words whatsoever to make you laugh, cry, wonder, and awe. And he didn't really use any until the second half of the show. But the technical aspects of the show are executed to perfection, Viggo is always in perfect tune with the audience and he is an absolute master of controlling the room. An hour that leaves you with 'WTF did I just watch?', but it also leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. And I have the feeling that Viggo is a warm, fuzzy man. I'm looking forward to seeing Viggo again soon, and I'll urge everyone to do so.
I am sorry I couldn't get to see Julia Masli's show as well, but will certainly pay more attention to clowning from now on!
So yeah, this was my crazy 8 shows day in Edinburgh! Two more days to follow, though I'll have to see when I can write about them, while also recovering all the work I didn't do when in Edinburgh.
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